Thursday, February 20, 2014

Murder in Pigalle, by Cara Black

Murder in Pigalle is the latest in a series of mysteries set in Paris with Private Investigator Aimée Leduc as the main character. Aimée and her partner usually investigate cyber crimes, but she's drawn into a criminal investigation when her friends ask her for help finding their daughter who has disappeared. Zazie, who's 13 years old, has been obsessed with a series of rapes that have taken place over the last six months. One of the victims was Zazie's friend Melanie, and Zazie is determined to find the perpetrator. As Aimée digs deeper into the circumstances of Zazie's disappearance, she uncovers evidence of a much broader conspiracy.While I found Murder in Pigalle to be an amusing diversion, I don't think the writing is particularly strong. The book races along at a breakneck pace, with the characters running from one action-packed scene to the next. There is little reflection and there is almost no development of the characters or what makes them tick. The author drops in short French phrases and words throughout, which I found annoying after a while. Readers of this type of light mystery will likely enjoy this book, but I wouldn't particularly recommend it.